


Skin-Deep, No One Has to Know

by terramous



Series: BRIAN WEEK [6]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:07:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26629513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/terramous/pseuds/terramous
Summary: “TK,” Carlos started apprehensively, not sure how to process what he was seeing, “is that blood?”TK’s eyes widened as if he expected that Carlos would just not ask. He quickly pulled his shirt down and over the wound above his hip, completely neglecting the fact that his shirt was white and the blood eagerly soaked it. “What? Oh, that…”💙TK's tendency to get hurt is going to be the end of Carlos
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: BRIAN WEEK [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1928767
Comments: 5
Kudos: 176
Collections: 9-1-1 Lone Star ▶ Carlos Reyes / Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand





	Skin-Deep, No One Has to Know

**Author's Note:**

  * For [howtosingit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/howtosingit/gifts).



> For the Bad Things Happen Bingo promt: Cradling Someone in Their Arms

A smile lingered on Carlos’ lips regardless of how he tried to keep his expression neutral. Surprising TK at work always filled him with pure, unadulterated glee. Perhaps it was childish but seeing TK’s surprised expression flood with a cocktail of happiness and what Carlos hoped was love, made everything worth it.

TK was a cure-all, Carlos could go through the wringer and come out the other end in pieces but as long as TK was there, looking at him like that, he knew he’d be okay.

On his day off, bringing TK a cup of boba was the least he could do, especially when it earned him a smile and sometimes even a kiss. At this point, the entire crew didn’t bat an eye when they saw him stroll into the fire station brandishing two cups. Boba for TK, and a coffee for Carlos. 

As much as TK would’ve liked Carlos to be into boba dates, his boyfriend just couldn’t get past the tapioca pearls. TK had described them as “blobs of snot” and he was dead on. Where TK held a fondness for chewing his drink, Carlos really couldn’t get into it, but he never minded picking it up for TK just to watch his boyfriend’s face light up. 

“Hey there, Reyes!” Judd called out, pausing in the middle of wiping down the side of the ladder truck to wave. 

Carlos returned the gesture with a lifted cup in the firefighter’s direction.

“He’s probably upstairs with the Captain,” Paul suggested from the top of the rig. 

“Thanks,” Carlos gave them both a grateful smile and continued on his way.

For a police officer, he certainly knew his way around the station awfully well. Between visiting Michelle and surprising TK, sometimes he felt like he was in there more than he was anywhere else, not that he was complaining. He loved his best friend and his boyfriend, it was convenient that he could visit two of his favourite people in one place. Even if Michelle spent most of the time she was in the vicinity of him and TK teasing them both.

She does it out of love. Or at least, that’s what Carlos told himself.

As childish as it probably was, Carlos all but skipped his way up to Captain Strand’s office. There was just something about knowing that he was going to see TK that made him giddy. 

“Good Afternoon, Officer Reyes. Are you looking for TK?” Owen asked, looking up from his paperwork as Carlos entered the office. He’d tried valiantly to get the captain to just call him Carlos, to no avail. They were locked in a constant tug-of-war of “call me Carlos” and “call me Owen” but neither of them being willing to drop the formalities. TK thought it was hilarious.

“I am, sir.”

“He’s been in the bathroom for a while, avoiding cleaning duties. See if you can convince him that he’s still on the clock.” 

“Will do,” Carlos said with a sharp nod, setting the drinks down on Owen’s desk before heading off in the direction he was pretty sure was the bathroom.

“Captain Strand says you’ve been in here so you don’t have to clean- TK?”

Carlos paused as he rounded the doorframe, he never knew what to expect when it came to TK, but he could firmly say that his boyfriend standing in front of the mirror with blood-soaked gauze all over the counter and the edge of his undershirt tucked under his chin as he tended to a wound that definitely wasn’t minor.

TK looked up and at Carlos’ reflection in the mirror before turning to face his boyfriend. With an awkward sweep of his arm along the counter, the dirty gauze pads and bandages fell into the trash can. Most of them, at least, others were littered around the bin.

“TK,” Carlos started apprehensively, not sure how to process what he was seeing, “is that blood?”

TK’s eyes widened as if he expected that Carlos would just _not ask._ He quickly pulled his shirt down and over the wound above his hip, completely neglecting the fact that his shirt was white and the blood eagerly soaked it. “What? Oh, that…” 

“Let me see.”

“No, it’s fine, just a scratch,” TK explained with a smile that under any other circumstance would have Carlos’ heart doing flips. “Don’t worry.” 

It was hard to believe TK when the second those words left his lips, he plummeted. He crumbled as if someone had stripped the bones from his body.

Carlos would thank his reflexes later, as they enabled him to leap forward and catch TK before he hit his head on the floor, or worse, the sink. 

Easing the two of them to the ground, Carlos curled his arms tighter around TK, cradling him into his chest even as TK tried to stand back up. 

“Settle down,” Carlos hissed at his boyfriend before calling for help. “Michelle!”

The first person to stumble through the door wasn’t Michelle, but Owen. He let his eyes widen and his mouth hang open slightly for a few seconds before, as if flipping a switch, his expression cooled and he was on his knees next to the two of them, moving TK from Carlos’ arms and onto the floor. 

It made Carlos wonder, exactly how many times had Owen had to see TK in danger or hurt? He knew it was quite a few, having known TK for more than five minutes, but it had to be much more than that for his father to be able to put his worry aside to take care of his son. 

“Dad- Dad, _I’m fine,_ ” TK objected, trying to push his father’s arms away as his shirt was lifted from the wound. 

“TK, you’re bleeding.” 

Carlos could hear hurried footsteps and then Michelle’s voice calling out. “Where are you guys?”

“The bathroom,” Owen called back, not moving his attention away from TK for even a second. 

TK who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. But he clearly knew that there was no fighting his father, being pliable in his grasp and lying still. Carlos was impressed at how agreeable his boyfriend was, seeing as he’d lash out at anyone who hovered too closely any other time. 

“TK… I should’ve known,” Michelle sighed before joining them on the floor with her bag. 

“It’s not that bad-” TK objected, hissing as Michelle applied fresh gauze and pressure to the wound. “I was patching it up.”

With a peek under the edge of the gauze and an exaggerated eyeroll, Michelle shoved TK’s knee playfully. “This definitely needs stitches, you idiot. You know that.” 

“Boy, you stress me out,” Owen said, brushing TK’s hair out of his face. 

“Sorry.” 

💙

TK had already fallen asleep by the time Carlos pulled into the driveway of the Strand residence. After a few hours in the hospital getting stitched up and sent on his way, the combination of exhaustion and curling up in Carlos’ hoodie had him out like a light. 

It was cute, and it warmed Carlos’ heart to know that TK was comfortable enough to fall asleep and trust that Carlos would take care of him, even with a dozen stitches. Which definitely had to hurt like no one’s business.

He didn’t even stir as Carlos slid his arms underneath TK and pulled him into his arms. He was completely dead to it, his head lolling against Carlos’ shoulder. 

Luckily, Owen opened the front door before Carlos had to try and knock with his foot. That would’ve been an ordeal and he wasn’t trying to drop TK. He’d never live it down. 

When Owen raised an eyebrow Carlos just shrugged. “He’s tired,” he whispered, “I’ll put him to bed.”

“Alright then, I trust you know your way to his bedroom.”

Carlos could die on the spot. Instead, he just gave Owen a curt nod and set off towards TK’s bedroom, careful not to jostle his sleeping beauty too much. 

As Carlos tried to lower TK into the bed, he latched onto Carlos’ shirt like a reluctant cat he was trying to move in a half-asleep endeavour to stay in Carlos’ arms. With a little more coaxing, he got TK to release his hold and tucked the firefighter in as best he could. Even if it meant sitting on the end of TK’s bed and pulling off his shoes as slowly as he could. 

With a soft kiss to TK’s temple and a hand through his boyfriend’s hair, Carlos left the room, gently shutting the door behind him to cut off the light pouring in from the hallway.

“Thanks for staying with him, and bringing him home. I really appreciate it,” Owen said as Carlos crept past the kitchen. 

“Oh, that? Not a problem, sir. I’m happy to help.”

“At least let me feed you. As thanks.”

“I’m fine.”

“How about a cup of tea, then?”

Carlos suddenly remembered the poor, abandoned cups of coffee and bubble tea. The ice had definitely melted and Carlos’ coffee was certainly cold and entirely unpleasant to even think about. It was going to be so nice, too. “Crap.”

“What is it?” Owen asked, looking concerned.

“The drinks I brought into the station are still on your desk. That’s unfortunate.”

**Author's Note:**

> Title from: Dayseeker - Starving to be Empty
> 
> tumblr


End file.
